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Russian Federation Opinion on the Compatibility with International Human Rights Standards of a Series of Bills Introduced By

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Russian Federation Opinion on the Compatibility with International Human Rights Standards of a Series of Bills Introduced By Strasbourg, 6 July 2021 CDL-AD(2021)027 Opinion No. 1014 / 2020 Or. Engl. EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) RUSSIAN FEDERATION OPINION ON THE COMPATIBILITY WITH INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS OF A SERIES OF BILLS INTRODUCED BY THE RUSSIAN STATE DUMA BETWEEN 10 AND 23 NOVEMBER 2020 TO AMEND LAWS AFFECTING “FOREIGN AGENTS” Adopted by the Venice Commission at its 127th Plenary Session (Venice and online, 2-3 July 2021) On the basis of comments by Ms Veronika BĺLKOVA (Member, Czech Republic) Ms Herdis KJERULF-THORGEIRSDOTTIR (Member, Iceland) Ms Angelika NUSSBERGER (Member, Germany) Mr Jan VELAERS (Member, Belgium) CDL-AD(2021)027 - 2 - Table of contents I. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3 II. Scope and background information ........................................................................... 3 A. The scope of the present opinion ............................................................................... 4 B. The “foreign agent” legislation prior to the November 2020 amendments .................. 5 C. Comparative law perspective ..................................................................................... 7 III. International Standards ............................................................................................. 8 IV. Analysis of the November 2020 Amendments ......................................................... 11 A. Aims and justifications ............................................................................................. 14 B. Expansion of scope ................................................................................................. 17 C. Expansion of regulations and restrictions ................................................................ 19 1. Registration requirements........................................................................................ 19 2. Reporting and auditing requirements ....................................................................... 20 3. Public disclosure requirements ................................................................................ 21 4. Restrictions on speech and access to public service ............................................... 23 D. Expansion of sanctions ............................................................................................ 24 1. Administrative sanctions .......................................................................................... 24 2. Criminal sanctions ................................................................................................... 25 3. Liquidation of NCOs ................................................................................................ 25 V. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 26 - 3 - CDL-AD(2021)027 I. Introduction 1. By a letter dated 18 December 2020, the Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. Boriss Cilevičs, requested an opinion on the compatibility with international human rights standards of a series of bills introduced to the Russian State Duma between 10 and 23 November 2020 to amend laws affecting “foreign agents”. 2. Ms Veronika Bílková, Ms Angelika Nussberger, Ms Herdís Kjerulf Thorgeirsdóttir and Mr Jan Velaers acted as rapporteurs for this opinion. 3. On 7 and 17 May 2021, Ms Veronika Bílková, Ms Angelika Nussberger, Ms Herdís Kjerulf Thorgeirsdóttir and Mr Jan Velaers, assisted by Mr Schnutz Dürr and Ms Sophia Wistehube from the Secretariat, had online meetings with representatives of the Federation Council, the State Duma, the General Prosecutor's Office, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ministry of Justice and the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor), as well as with civil society. The Commission is grateful to the Institute for Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation for the excellent organisation of the virtual meeting. 4. This opinion was prepared in reliance on the original version in Russian as well as on English translations of the draft laws (CDL-REF(2021)047-e, CDL-REF(2021)048-e, CDL- REF(2021)049-e, CDL-REF(2021)050-e, CDL-REF(2021)051-e and CDL-REF(2021)052-e). The translations may not accurately reflect the original versions on all points. 5. This opinion was drafted on the basis of comments by the rapporteurs and the results of the virtual meetings. Following an exchange of views with Mr Andrey Klishas, Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Construction of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, and with Ms Olga Vorobyeva, Deputy Director of the Department for Non- Profit Organisations of the Ministry of Justice, the opinion was adopted by the Venice Commission at its 127th Plenary Session (Venice and online, 2-3 July 2021). II. Scope and background information 6. Since 2012, the Russian government has used the “foreign agent” legislation to regulate civil society. The central aspect of this legislation is the requirement that specific actors of civil society engaging in political activity and receiving foreign funding must register as “foreign agents”. Since 2012, Russia’s “foreign agent” legislation has been widely criticised within and outside of Russia, including by the Venice Commission,1 the United Nations Human Rights Committee,2 and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.3 Over 60 organizations have challenged the application of “foreign agent” provisions to them at the European Court of Human Rights, with 1 Venice Commission, CDL-AD(2014)025, Opinion on Federal Law n. 121-fz on non-commercial organisations (“law on foreign agents”), on Federal Laws n. 18-fz and n. 147-fz and on Federal Law n. 190-fz on making amendments to the criminal code (“law on treason”) of the Russian Federation. 2 United Nations Human Rights Committee, Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the Russian Federation, 28 April 2015, CCPR/C/RUS/CO/7, available at: http://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=6QkG1d%2FPPRiCAqhKb7yhstWB5OJfDOQhME kiX20XNhIfwS44vVjDCG9yOfCaGgJ%2B4aMVruPFpyUaMYJvfEOEBQCPHWJdUArBGlBJo5DzI4ZqOZa12FM GUZJqFSjwcIYP (last accessed 5 July 2021). 3 Third party intervention by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Application n° 9988/13, ECODEFENCE and others v. Russia and 48 other applications, 5 July 2017, CommDH(2017)22, available at: https://rm.coe.int/third-party-intervention-by-the-council-of-europe-commissioner-for-hum/1680731087 (last accessed 5 July 2021). CDL-AD(2021)027 - 4 - consideration still pending. As of July 2021, the “foreign agent” register listed 76 organizations,4 and an additional media register listed 20 media outlets and individual persons.5 7. While the current opinion focusses only on the most recent amendments concerning the Russian “foreign agent” legislation that were introduced to the Russian State Duma in November 2020, the Venice Commission is aware that these amendments are a further tightening of the measures previously assessed by the Commission. A. The scope of the present opinion 8. In November 2020, four amendments to the Russian “foreign agent” legislation were introduced to the Russian State Duma and have all been passed into law with minor changes by the time of the adoption of this opinion: - Draft Law No. 1052523-7 “Amending the Federal Law ‘On non-commercial organisations’ as regards improving the legal regulation of the activities of non-commercial organisations performing the functions of a foreign agent and structural subdivisions of foreign non- commercial non-governmental organisations” (adopted as Federal Law No. 75-FZ of 5 April 2021);6 - Draft Law No. 1057892-7 “Amending the Federal Law ‘On fundamental guarantees of electoral rights and the right to participate in referendums of Russian Federation citizens’” (adopted as Federal Law No. 91-FZ of 20 April 2021);7 - Draft Law No. 1057914-7 “Amending individual legislative acts of the Russian Federation as regards establishing additional measures to counteract threats to national security” (adopted as Federal Law No. 481-FZ of 30 December 2020);8 and - Draft Law No. 1060950-7 “Amending the Russian Federal Code of Administrative Infringements as regards specifying liability for breaches of the procedure governing the activities of persons performing the functions of a foreign agent” (adopted as Federal Law No. 14-FZ of 24 February 2021).9 4 See, Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, Register of non-commercial organisations performing the functions of a foreign agent, available at: http://unro.minjust.ru/NKOForeignAgent.aspx (last accessed 5 July 2021). 5 See, Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, Register of foreign media performing the functions of a foreign agent, available at: https://minjust.gov.ru/ru/documents/7755/ (last accessed 5 July 2021). 6 Draft Law No. 1052523-7 was introduced to the Russian State Duma on 10 November 2020 (available at: https://sozd.duma.gov.ru/bill/1052523-7 (last accessed 5 July 2021)). The law was passed by the President of the Russian Federation and published as Federal Law No. 75-FZ of 5 April 2021 “On Amendments to the Federal Act on Non-Commercial Organisations” (available at: http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202104050015
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